And a Splash of Crazy
by MadameMalfoy21
Summary: Sequel to 'A Sip of Tea'. Hermione and Draco are now a couple. But with all of Hogwarts against the relationship, and with neither of them having experience in the significant other category, it will be anything but easy.
1. Chapter 1

To Hermione, nothing beat falling asleep after a few rounds of awesome sex. Especially if it meant falling asleep on a certain blonde's chest. And good lord did he smell delicious afterwards. It didn't take long for her to doze off, wrapped in his arms.

"Bambi." He whispered.

She groaned.

He shook her gently. "Bambi."

"Stop." She moaned, clutching the covers and keeping her eyes shut tight.

"Come on, time to get up."

She groaned again, tossing over.

He sank his teeth into her shoulder, and she yelped, smacking him across the chest.

"Ow!"

"You bit me!" she growled.

He laughed. "Jesus. You are _not_ a morning person."

"You should know that by now." She grumbled.

He jumped on top of her, kissing her deeply. She squirmed away, wiping her mouth. "Draco! Dammit I haven't washed my face."

He sucked on her neck. "I don't care."

She sighed, giving into him slightly. "What are you so happy about anyway?"

"Well, today's the day."

"That's not something you should be happy about."

"It's his own fault."

"You sort of provoked them."

"I didn't do shit. Other than fuck you." He grinned, sucking on her neck some more. A moan escaped her lips, though she tried to bite it back.

"Goddamnit Draco."

He kissed her cheek. "I won't kill him."

She smacked him with a pillow. "That's not allowed!"

He chuckled. "Ok, ok, calm down."

Hermione sighed, staring up at the ceiling. How had it escalated to all this?

 _2 weeks ago…_

"Can you maybe not read naked?"

She looked up from her book, eyeing him lazily. "I was too tired to get up." She justified.

"Well whose fault is that?"

"Yours, obviously."

He scoffed, climbing onto the bed and sitting on her thighs.

"You're heavy."

"You're distracting."

She looked up from her book again. "You're the one who's distracting me."

"Me? Granger you're in my bed, _naked._ "

She shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

He grabbed her book, tossing it aside.

"Hey-"

He sealed her lips with his to shut her up. "I know you're doing this on purpose."

She smiled into his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He pulled away and pinched her cheeks.

"Dracaw! Stawwp iitt"

He chuckled. "You're so funny when I do this."

She slapped his hand away.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Mmm, just a bit."

"Off we go then!"

Hermione cringed. She wasn't looking forward to seeing the outside world. After Draco so _romantically_ professed his feelings, their life had been rather short from a Nicholas Sparks novel. Take how all of Hogwarts reacted, for example. No, scratch that. Just how Harry and Ron had reacted was enough drama to cover Hogwarts ten times over. She was getting rather tired of having to explain herself every time she happened to run into them.

It was, in a word, awful. They were convinced she was not with him of her own accord. It had gotten out that she had drank a potion, and so of course Harry was completely convinced that she was under some sort of spell.

"How do you think Ron is going to feel about this?"

Yes. Harry Potter had actually said that. It became a rather interesting conversation afterwards.

"Why would I give a flat fuck as to how Ron feels about it? I don't know why he'd care in the first place. He's dating Lavender so it shouldn't-"

"Oh come on, Hermione. Everyone knows he cares about you."

She blinked. "Are you kidding me?"

"Absolutely not!" Harry affirmed.

She shook her head. "Ok, forget Ron. You're supposed to be my best friend. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"It's precisely because I'm your best friend that I _can't_ be happy."

"Harry-"

"Hermione."

She slowly let out an exhale. She was going to lose her patience really soon.

"You can't really be serious about all this." His voice faded, and he looked at her worriedly, "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Her face went red and she snapped at him, "Of course not! Just leave me alone!" She quickly rushed away, not wanting to talk about the topic any longer.

Hermione knew this sort of thing was inevitable, but she was starting to get rather irritated with it all. It didn't help that if Harry or Ron happened to pass by when they were together, Draco would pull her into a full out French kiss, no matter where they were. She sighed. He was such a bastard. She really didn't know what she saw in him.

Her heart tumbled. He wasn't always a bastard, though. It was small things, things no one else would notice. In the mornings, he'd kiss her forehead when he thought she was still asleep. He kept the hair ties she left behind on his wrist, and would give them to her when she was frustrated and needed to put her hair up. She bit her lip. Maybe those were stupid things. Or completely average couple things. Hell, how was she supposed to know? But they made her smile nonetheless.

She sighed once more. She couldn't really stay mad at Harry. It was a weird thing to wrap one's head around. She still wasn't fully able to grasp the fact that she and Draco were now a couple. One thing was for sure though, she would _not_ tell _anyone_ how their relationship had started out. The only one who knew about that was Blaise, and that, to Hermione, was cringe-worthy enough.

So things were…weird, now. For lack of a better description. Even Ginny wasn't really talking to her. She got the feeling she sort of resented her for it, though she wasn't sure why.

"They're talking about you, you know." She had said.

"What do you mean?"

"You and him." She spat the words out pretty nastily, and she didn't really talk to Hermione much after that. It made her feel pretty uneasy.

"You're about to find out who your real friends are." Draco told her, once she had explained all that had happened. She tried to agree with him, but she still couldn't fully accept it.

In any case, Luna was treating her the same as always, so that was nice. She was rather looking forward to seeing her, considering Luna was one of the only people that didn't try and question her relationship with Draco. Hermione chewed the inside of her cheeks and finished getting dressed, letting Draco lead her out of the dungeons and up for dinner.

Her heart skipped a few beats as the people they passed in the halls started to whisper and stare. She turned to Draco. "Maybe we shouldn't hold hands."

"Why not?" he said, not looking at her.

She tried to shake free of his hold, "Everyone's always staring. I don't know. Wouldn't it be easier?"

He glared down at her. "I can damn well hold my girlfriend's hand if I want."

Her heart fluttered at that, but she still didn't want people to stare at them.

"Well maybe your girlfriend doesn't want you to hold her hand." She retorted smartly.

" _Well maybe your girlfriend doesn't want you to hold her hand,"_ he repeated in an exaggerated high pitch, "Too bad."

She groaned. "I don't sound like that."

He chuckled, "You do."

"I do not!"

"Want me to prove it?" his eyes shimmered, and a smirk flashed onto his face. By now she knew better than to challenge that. She could think of quite a few ways he'd make her voice go up that high, and she didn't want any more attention on them than necessary.

"Forget it. Let's just get dinner over with." She grumbled.

Draco's smirk only grew, and he opened the door to the dining hall for them. She told him she'd see him afterwards, and he waved at her, making his way to the Slytherin table. She began to wonder who was getting more hell over all of this; him or her. The Slytherins were a pretty cool group of people, and none of them really seemed to care. Well, none of the guys. The girls seemed to be pretty pissed at Draco for choosing Hermione.

She tried to clear her head as she made her way to her own table. She found Luna easily, and sat down next to her, smiling.

"Hey, Luna."

"Good evening Hermione." She said sweetly.

They ate mostly in silence, but Hermione didn't mind. It was a nice break from all the pestering and questions she had been getting recently.

"You know," Luna said suddenly, "I don't think I've told you yet, but I think you and Draco make a nice couple. You can really see the love in your relationship."

Hermione nearly choked on her pumpkin juice. "I think 'love' might be too strong a word, Luna."

She hummed thoughtfully, "I don't think so."

Hermione stole a glance of her boyfriend, who was laughing and smacking Blaise on his back. No, no, no. It was way too early to be talking about love. They could hardly stand each other. It was a wonder they were together at all. It definitely wasn't…love. Not yet, at least.

Not yet? Had she thought that? She shook her head. She just wanted everything to play out naturally. Was that too much to ask?

Harry walked over to them, sitting on the opposite end of the table. "Hermione, about Draco…"

She inwardly sighed. Apparently, it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Kissing Draco was wonderful. And sort of new, if that made any sense at all. They had kissed before, of course, in their passionate bursts. But she had never fully been able to indulge in his lips before. He was pretty good at it, she had to admit. She licked his bottom lip and she felt him shiver. She giggled into his mouth. He bit her lightly and wrapped his arms all the tighter around her, pulling her into his lap. She yelped.

"You're such a tease." He smirked at her.

"You say that like you're not," she murmured against him, stealing a quick glance at his eyes. He really was handsome. With those grey eyes and that sharp jawline and his blonde hair that was oh-so-fun to pull.

She really did love days like these. It was nice to slow down every once in a while. And when they were like this, she was better able to get a full sense of him. The way he always licked her lips before pushing past them and into her mouth. The way he'd suck on her tongue while holding her tightly, underscoring the fact that she was his. One of her favorite feelings was being pressed up against him, because it was with her chest against his and his arms wrapped around her back that she felt closest to him. Not to mention that it also provided temporary relief to the ache in her breasts.

It had been on a wonderful day such as this one when their relationship was about to face its first _natural_ disaster. Hermione began to feel a certain soreness in her legs and lower back, and her face filled with dread.

She pulled away from him, trembling slightly. "W-What day is it?"

"Friday." He said easily, pulling her into another kiss.

"No, no," she pushed him away, "The date."

"Uh the third?"

"I have to go."

"What?"

She got up off of him, and headed for the door, but Draco slammed her up against it, holding her in place.

"The fuck you think you're doing?"

"I can't stay today," she said calmly, "I don't feel good."

He got a confused look on his face. "Are you sick?"

"No…not exactly."

He rolled his eyes. "Hermione if you're tired we can just sleep. Jesus."

"No, no, it's not that. I just…I think I should go to my own room, for tonight."

He raised an eyebrow before smirking. "You cheating on me, Granger?"

"Of course not!"

"Because you know," his voice dropped, and his lips got dangerously close to hers, "I'd never forgive you."

"God you're the worst." She rolled her eyes and opened the door, trying to get the hell out of the dungeons.

She inhaled deeply and grinded her teeth as she walked towards the Gryffindor common room. Of course she would get her period now, day of all days. And she could already feel the faint pang of cramps squeezing her lower stomach. She groaned. Tomorrow would be a long day. She'd need to have some tea ready. And she should take some of that nasty liquid Madame Pomfrey had given her last month. That would at least keep the cramps at bay while she slept.

Cringing, she climbed the steps as quickly as humanly possible, trying to get it done and over with. When she entered the common room, it was only to be greeted by a strung up Ginny.

"What are you doing here?"

Hermione blinked. "Well, it is the Gryffindor common room…I am still a Gryffindor."

Ginny shrugged pompously, "I just thought you'd be with _him."_

Hermione ignored her and made her way into her room. She didn't have the time or energy to try and deal with everyone's prejudice right now. All she wanted was her dose of medicine and tea. She rummaged through her things, finding the small bottle and shaking it, realizing she only had enough for one day. She sighed. She'd need to go see Pomfrey tomorrow for more. She put the bottle to her lips and drank, a cooling relief washing over her. She forgot all about her tea, and didn't even bother with her pajamas, as she flopped onto her bed and fell promptly to sleep.

When she awoke, it was to sharp pains. She groaned, holding her stomach, and quickly grabbed a towel so that she could shower. She'd need to see Pomfrey before breakfast. The pain was making her head hurt. She took a fast shower and put on some loose-fitting pants, tossing a sweater over her shoulders. She wanted to put her hair up, but couldn't find any hair ties. She rolled her eyes and sighed, making her way out of the common room. It was still pretty early, so luckily, she didn't run into anyone on the way out. Only, when she got to Pomfrey, it was only to discover that she had no more elixir left.

"But surely you can brew up some more?" Hermione begged.

"I'm sorry, we simply don't have the right herbs on hand."

Hermione stared at her incredulously. "But this is Hogwarts! Surely something-"

"Miss Granger. I'm afraid nothing can be done. If you wish there is some aspirin on that top shelf."

Hermione snatched the aspirin away, thanking Madame Pomfrey angrily and stormed out of the Hospital Wing. As she left, she ran into Draco.

"So you _are_ sick."

She jumped. "Oh, Draco!"

He snatched the pills away from her and examined them. "Headache?" he asked.

She took the bottle back. "Sort of."

His eyes narrowed. "You have to tell me what's wrong, Granger."

"Nothing's wrong!" she opened the bottle and popped an aspirin into her mouth.

"You a drug addict?"

She scoffed.

"Well what is it then?"

"Nothing."

"Fine, so you'll stay with me tonight?"

"Um, maybe not tonight…"

"Granger the fuck is going on?"

"Can you just leave me alone!" she snapped sharply, her voice echoing in the empty halls.

"Well damn. Bitch mode activate."

Hermione knew he was just being his usual self. And that in his own weird way he was concerned. But did he really have to call her a bitch? It was day one and she had cramps and there was no medicine and her emotions were all over the place and she was just really hungry…

"Are you crying?"

"No." she crossed her arms, looking away from him.

"Your eyes are watery."

"So?"

He blinked. "Hey, Bambi. Come on, what is it?"

"I'monmyperiodok." She said quickly, not looking up at him.

"Oh…" his voice dragged off, as though he were coming into realization. "Oh! Um…right…shit…ok then."

He quickly left without saying much else and Hermione felt her heart tumble. Did it freak him out that much? Surely he'd had to have come across the issue before. Although he didn't have any sisters or anything…

Was he planning on just avoiding her all week? Hermione groaned, feeling another sharp pang in her lower stomach. She was hungry and yet she felt like throwing up.

 _Why have the gods forsaken me?_

She had her breakfast, but really just pecked at it, and tried to get through her classes as smoothly as possible.

 _How much aspirin is too much aspirin?_

When she got to Charms, Draco wasn't there. For a while, she thought that maybe he was just running late. But as the bells rang to signal the end of class, she was met with new frustration. Was he going to through this much to avoid her? That was overkill, even for him. It wasn't _that_ serious, she didn't turn into a complete monster or anything. She was just irritable because of the pain. That was perfectly reasonable wasn't it?

She sighed as she finally got out of her last class. Her legs would give soon. They felt so horribly sore. But at least the cramps had died down a bit. She'd forgotten how strong they could be. It'd been quite a long time since she'd gone through the month without Pomfrey's medicine. Lost in thought, she wasn't fully focused on her surroundings and she was bumped into rather brusquely. She staggered awkwardly, running sideways into a wall. At least she didn't fall down.

"Ow, fuck." She rubbed her arm, groaning, wishing for today to be over already.

"Bambi!"

She turned around, wanting to see him but at the same time not.

"Where've you been?" she tried to sound disinterested.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, out. Here." He offered up his palm, which held a small corked bottle. Hermione's first thought was that it looked like the _drink me_ liquid from Alice in Wonderland.

"What is it?"

He shook it at her, so she took it in her own hands. "It's sort of a cure-all. Malfoy family secret."

Looking at the small bottle in her hands, Hermione felt the tears prick the back of her eyes. He could be so damn _sweet_ sometimes. She tried to get a hold of her emotions. "Oh. Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged. "You were acting weird, and that made me feel weird…so," he struggled for a bit, "So it's not really for you…more just for my peace of mind…"

She smiled. "Well, thank you anyway."

It was a weird sort of thing. Hermione wouldn't be able to describe it accurately. She cared about Draco. Draco cared about her. But when it came to voicing it out loud…

Well that wasn't always necessary, right? Actions do speak louder than words after all. She took a sip of the cure-all, and relief instantly washed over her. She sighed contentedly. "Wow. That's amazing."

"Well, I mean, we are Malfoys."

She scoffed, shaking her head, "How could I ever forget?"

"So, you'll be normal now?"

She made a face, "I wasn't acting _that_ weird."

"Kind of...does it hurt that bad?"

"Kind of..." she echoed his words.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Right. Well. Get better. Or whatever."

He walked away from her, and Hermione couldn't help the happy feeling that was bubbling up inside her. They were on a bumpy road, there was no denying that. But she was looking forward to when they'd reach the smooth pavement.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, just gotta say you're all so awesome for all the follows and favorites ^^ Hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **kgkgirl11: It wouldn't let me reply to you, but I just had to say that your comment really made me laugh! Quite clever hehe~**


	3. Chapter 3

Draco had quite a bit of patience when it came to certain things. For example, when he would slide his hands over Hermione's restrained and melting body, until she was nothing but a withering, whimpering mess in his fingers. That, he certainly had patience for.

He did _not,_ however, have the patience to tolerate Weasley's stares.

"You gonna fucking say something or keep drooling over me like some love struck schoolgirl?" he spat out.

"I have nothing to say to you Malfoy." He quickly retorted.

"Then don't fucking look at me. It's disgusting vermin like you are allowed in my presence to begin with."

"Vermin? Ha, look who's talking. The ferret himself-"

"Watch it, Weasley-"

"I'm going to figure out what's going on. Don't think for a minute we don't see what you're up to-"

"Oh here we go. For the last time Hermione isn't under any sort of spell-"

"What's going on here?" Hermione entered the classroom just then, setting her books down on the desk next to Draco.

"Hermione, please. You gotta admit you're acting bonkers."

Draco burst out laughing, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist. Because he was sitting down and she was standing, her breast brushed against his cheek, making his smirk widen. "Did you _really_ just use the word 'bonkers' in a sentence? How uneducated are you?"

Ron burned with fury, and Hermione silently hushed Draco, urging him not to provoke her friend.

"It's not my fault your friend is a compelte idiot-"

"Draco." Her tone was strict, and rather unforgiving, which bothered him. After everything, and she was still willing to defend her friends over him?

"Do you see? Hermione come on! Admit that this is ridiculous! Lavender says that maybe you're acting out for attention? The way a kid might. Is that what's happening? You know Harry and I-"

Draco smirked widely. Ronald Weasley had basically just dug is own grave. If there was someone Hermione hated, it was Lavender Brown.

"Ha. Is that her opinion of me? How very interesting."

Ron nodded. "Yeah. We can hang out more. The three of us, like we used to. You don't have to go through all this."

Draco felt really giddy all of a sudden, and he silently pleaded in his head for Ron to keep talking. Hermione hummed thoughtfully, running her fingers through Draco's hair. "Draco," she said, in a voice as sweet as honey. Oh, he knew that voice. This was about to get good.

"Yeah, Bambi?"

"Do you think I'm fishing for attention?"

"I can't say I do, babe." He watched as Ron noticeably ground his teeth when he called her 'babe.'

"Well that settles it then." She smiled a smile that was not at all friendly, and took her seat next to Draco. She pulled out her parchment before glancing back up at him, "You look confused, Ronald."

"I don't see how that settles anything." He grumbled.

"Oh?" Hermione's voice was sugar sweet again, "You value your girlfriend's words above all else it seems. Is there anything wrong with me doing the same?"

"That's not the point Mione-"

"That's exactly the point Ronald." She snapped sharply, in a tone that scared even Draco.

Draco watched as Ron shut his mouth in defeat, lowering his head and trying to recover from the sharp bite Hermione had dealt him. He seemed to get a confidence boost though, as Harry Potter walked through the door.

 _Goddamnit,_ he thought. Although he would never say it out loud, he preferred Potter to Weasley. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he got the feeling Weasley still liked Hermione or something like that, but Potter could be pretty diplomatic when he wanted to be. So he was much easier to deal with than his hot-headed counterpart.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly, before setting his bag down next to Ron. "I think we need to talk about this."

Draco noticed Hermione's penmanship darkening, as she applied more pressure to her quill. He figured he better take this one. "Talk about what, Potter?"

Harry sighed a bit angrily, as though it didn't need an explanation. He motioned to the two of them, "Whatever _this_ is. It's clearly happening. We'll do our best to understand, if you can explain."

Draco could feel Hermione tensing next to him, and he quickly spoke up to beat her to it, "There's nothing to explain. We're together. End of story."

"If you don't mind, Malfoy," Harry sounded like he was being gripped at the throat, trying to speak to him in a formal way, "I think I'd like to hear what Hermione has to say."

She looked up from her parchment, looking exhausted. "It's just as he said. We're together. Can't you all just accept it and then we can move on with our lives?"

"Well, you see, this is where it gets difficult for us. The Hermione we know would never agree to something like this. Maybe if you can explain how you started talking-"

"Yeah, how'd it all start, anyway?" Ron interrupted, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Draco had to bite his tongue. More than anything he wanted to blurt out that they started as fuck buddies and she loved his dick so much that they decided to become a couple. Their faces would be priceless, he was sure. But Hermione would never forgive him for that.

"The same way any relationship starts," Hermione shrugged, "We started talking and then one thing led to another."

"Yeah but how did you start talking?" Ron said quickly, "It's not like you'd ever go talk to him on your own! Have you forgotten how many times this bastard has called you a mudblood?"

Hermione did, in fact, remember. It had quite nearly been the straw that broke their incredibly fragile relationship, not so long ago. But he had apologized, and she knew he had meant it. It was not often Draco apologized about anything, after all. Then again...

Perhaps the reason she remembered so clearly was because that word had somehow worked its way back into his vocabulary...

 _You like that don't you? My **dirty** mudblood. Come on, louder._

She didn't know why or how such a degrading term managed to turn her on as much as it did. Maybe it was just the huskiness in his voice that made it incredibly effective. Or maybe it was because he wanted her despite his original prejudices. Not that it exactly mattered anymore, but the fact that he was a pureblood and she wasn't added an incredibly thrilling sense of 'the forbidden' to their escapades.

Hermione had to physically shake her head in order to re-center her thoughts. To Ron and Harry though, it probably just looked like she was simply denying that fact.

"We've moved past that," she insisted, "I would appreciate you not calling him a bastard, Ron. Shouldn't you two be happy? We don't have to be enemies anymore-"

"In answer to your question, Potter. We were assigned together in Potions. No doubt that's where the rumors came from."

Hermione looked at him. She hadn't expected such a civilized and composed answer from Draco. Still, she was glad to see it. He could be rather mature, when he wanted to be.

Harry crossed his arms. "Hermione? Is this really what you want?"

She was shocked at his sudden question. "I…" she stole a quick glance at Draco, who also seemed to be rather curious of her answer, "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to." She said.

"I still don't buy it." Ron grunted.

"That's not our problem." Draco snapped.

Hermione sighed. She was getting tired. How many times would they have to go through this until everyone left them alone?

"We just want what's best for Hermione." Harry said simply.

"Harry, I don't need any-"

"Look. You're all seriously starting to piss me off. So how about you shut the fuck up and leave us alone?"

"I know this might be hard for you to understand, but we're looking out for _our friend."_ Harry insisted.

"Oh, piss off Potter."

"Oy! Don't think you can talk to us like that-"

"Draco-" she tugged at his sleeve, but he ignored her.

"I can talk to you however the fuck I want to. The hell is wrong with you? Coming in her running your mouth about how Hermione is seeking attention. Who do you think you are?"

"I didn't say that!" Ron screeched.

Draco chuckled darkly, "Oh right, it was your fat cow of a girlfriend."

"Draco!" Hermione interjected.

"Listen here Malfoy-" Ron started rolling up his sleeves.

"We got it." Harry said quickly and strongly, moving to stand between the two. "Other people are going to start coming in, so let's just leave this be for now."

"Nicely done, Potter. Always looking out for your image."

Harry scowled, but let it go. Hermione silently applauded his maturity, and breathed out a sigh of relief when all three boys fell silent.

Draco could tell Hermione wasn't feeling good. She scribbled her notes tensely and tersely, a small frown on her face throughout the entire lesson. Damn he wanted to punch those guys. He didn't like her getting all worked up over nothing. But then again, seeing her all frustrated was kind of cute, to a certain extent.

When class was over, Draco followed her out, carrying her books though she had insisted she could do it herself. He had, of course, taken them by force. The damn witch was too independent for her own good. As they walked down the halls, they didn't say much to each other, their footsteps echoing. Suddenly, though, Hermione started to giggle softly, and brought her fingers to her lips to try and stop herself. He couldn't help but smile at that. Maybe she was in a better mood after being away from those two dweebs.

"What is it?"

She bit her lip, her eyes shining up at him, "You called Lavender a cow."

He scoffed at that, shaking his head. "Well isn't she? You can practically hear her mooing."

She covered her mouth completely after hearing him say so, trying her best to scold him, "That's mean, you shouldn't say things like that."

He knew she was just putting on airs though. Trying to be that perfect little witch everyone saw her as. He lowered his lips to her ear, " _Moooooo."_

She burst out laughing, her hands no longer on her mouth as she held on to her stomach. Draco gave a short smile, his chest swelling with pride. He was glad she was in better spirits than before. It helped that she was laughing, no doubt. She looked really pretty, when she got to laughing like that.

Draco Malfoy didn't think he'd ever tell her, but Hermione Granger had a really nice laugh.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy update day! Please don't forget to review :D**

 **Dragongirl2101: Yay thank you so much! Haha I know right they're the absolute worst. Luckily Draco saved the day hehe ^~^**


	4. Chapter 4

It was finally the weekend, thank the heavens for that, which meant Hermione got to spend time in what was quickly becoming her most favorite place in all of Hogwarts. Draco wasn't in his room yet, he had Quidditch practice or something, so Hermione decided to indulge in his private shower. She didn't think he realized how much of a privilege this was. But, she supposed, when you're a Malfoy, things like these are probably the norm.

She let the warm water relax her, washing away all the annoying things that had happened this week. Particularly with Ron and Harry. She groaned to herself, running her hands through her wet hair, rinsing out the soap, pushing those thoughts aside. Right now, all she had to focus on was the relaxing pulse of the water. As she began to wash her body, she started to hum absent-mindedly, and eventually belted out real lyrics. Scrubbing her arms, she even began to dance a little, swaying her hips.

"You got a nice voice, Bambi."

She screamed, before she poked her head out, clinging to the shower curtain. "What are you doing here?!"

His arms were crossed as he leaned against the sink, the top buttons of his shirt undone, "It's my room, isn't it?"

She blushed at that, and ducked back into the shower, "I'll be out in a bit." She called.

She turned to face the stream of water, letting it fall on her face, to rinse off her body. Part of her started to get really anxious. She wanted to hurry up and get out of the shower, so that he could take his, and then they could curl up in bed together. Among other things…but she really was looking forward to just cuddling. It was something new, for them, and being wrapped up in his scent was nothing short of completely wonderful.

She was drowning in this half-daydream when her body was yanked from behind. She extended her arms out instinctively, trying to grab hold of something. She immediately stopped, though, when she felt the burning heat on the lower curve of her back. Draco chuckled in her ear, before lowering his lips to her shoulder, nibbling playfully. "You're kinda slippery," he told her, running his hands over her stomach. The touch made her shiver.

"D-Draco-"

He pressed her harder against him, and an involuntary moan erupted from Hermione.

"Fuck I love that sound."

She laughed, "God you're such a perv. Let me go."

He moved her hair out of the way, and suckled her neck. "No."

"Draco…" she whined.

"Hey, how'd you use up all the hot water already?"

She craned her neck so that she could shoot him a look of confusion. "It's warm!"

His eyes widened, "You shower in this?" Without waiting to hear her reply, he reached for the handle, turning up the heat. " _This_ is warm." He explained.

Hermione yelped, "It's burning!"

"It is not!"

"It is too!"

He laughed. "You're just sensitive."

She lowered her gaze; she couldn't exactly argue with that. He simply dipped his head so that he could smash his lips into hers, her slick body moistening his. He groaned against her, "Fuck you're so hot." She tried to push him away, but he held her tight, even if the water made her soft skin slippery.

Hermione's heart was pounding loud and fast, with his heat pulsing against her lower stomach. He crouched a bit, positioning himself so that his length slid between her thighs, the water making their skin slick and smooth.

"You should know by now what's going to happen, Granger."

She shot him a doubtful look, "And if I refuse?"

He got the kind of smirk on his face that both excited and scared her, "Then it means more fun for me."

"D-Draco-"

He picked her up before she had a chance to protest any more, and crouched once again so that he'd have better leverage. He wasn't, however, counting on how awkward this position would be. Especially with the slippery floor beneath him. It didn't help that the damn woman was doing absolutely nothing to facilitate it for him. She was basically dead weight. So when he tried to get a better grip, he was met with nothing but her laughter. He growled, pressing her up against the wall for better leverage. She screamed, the frigid tiles on her bare back causing goosebumps to spread all over her body.

"Draco stop! It's freezing!" she trembled in his hold.

"Deal with it."

"Draco! Put me down, damnit."

With an annoyed groan, he put her back down on the ground, her feet making a small _splash_ on the shower floor. He did it so fast though, that she nearly slipped. She yelped, and he held on to her so that she didn't fall.

So maybe shower sex wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"How the hell do people do this?" she voiced out loud.

Draco shrugged, "Maybe they're just more flexible than you. And less whiney."

"Whiney?"

He smirked, lifting an eyebrow. Her face was turning red. He nearly chuckled. She really made it all too easy for him, the witch. It took practically nothing to rile her up.

She stepped closer to him, the water hitting her back, "Draco," she purred, her fingers dancing up his chest, "Do you really think I'm whiney?" She batted her lashes at him, which were thick and glossed from the steam. Goddamn he was hard.

"Oh yeah. Whiney as hell, Bambi. Couldn't even handle that small bit of cold."

"But it was cold…" she pouted playfully, her fingers still trailing along his skin.

"I would've warmed you up…" his voice trailed off, noticeably thick. It was hard to make out proper words all of a sudden. Why was she still pouting? Her lips looked deliciously swollen like that…

"Fuck."

He turned off the water, and quickly got out of the shower, not even bothering with a towel. Hermione shot him a confused look, before he pulled her with him, slamming her up against the bathroom door, claiming her lips against his own. He sucked and nibbled, grinding his hips against hers, their bodies shivering and yet flush with heat. When he pulled away he noticed her lips were red and throbbing, her mouth slightly open and her eyes glazed over. He loved that face.

"Draco," she scratched his chest, "Please."

He suckled her neck, his hands showing her no mercy as they raked across her sensitive skin, "Please what, Bambi?"

"I'm so wet…" she trembled.

He chuckled lowly, "So am I. We just showered and all-"

She cut him off, biting his bottom lip, sucking and moaning desperately. It was making his own patience wear thin. Fuck it. They didn't need a bed.

He wrapped his arm around her torso and yanked her away from the door, pushing her face first into the sink.

"Dra-"

"Hold on." Without another word he positioned himself at her entrance, and pushed himself in. But fuck she was tight. He couldn't slide in as easily as he normally did. Hermione mewled, her legs shaking.

"Bambi," he groaned, right in her ear, "Fuck, stop squeezing, I can't-"

"S-Sorry," her words trembled with her legs, her head tossed back to meet him, "You feel….ahh…Draco-o-o-"

"Fuck that's not even all the way."

She clenched the sink with what little strength she had in her arms, her knuckled going ghost white. "Draco, please!"

With a low grunt he forced his way in, reveling in the slapping sound as skin met skin. He exhaled sharply, doubling over to take hold of the sink for himself. There definitely was _not_ enough blood going to his head. "Hermione. Seriously. Fuck."

She moved on her own, the wanton little thing, her small hips moving away from his and then meeting again. He had to hold it together. If she kept squeezing him like that then he'd cum before her. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen. The fuck was she doing? Wasn't she the one saying no in the first place?

He stood up straight, officially pissed off, and grabbed her hips to stop her movements. She let out a whine. He pulled out as far as he could go, leaving in only the tip, and then rammed his entire cock as far into her as he could go. She let out a shrill screech, nearly falling head-first into the sink, her entire body shaking.

"Didn't I tell you to stop squeezing? Fuck!" he continued his rough thrusts, resulting in the same high-pitched screams from Hermione.

"I can't help it," her voice bounced with his thrusts, and, Draco noticed, her breasts did as well, "You're p-puls-sing…"

He stopped his movements, his eyes widening. "You can feel that?"

She bit her lip, turning her head so that she could look at him, and nodded. "Mhm." She affirmed sheepishly.

Draco grinned wickedly. "Someone's sensitive today."

"Just keep going." She huffed.

He chuckled, "Ok, ok," he wrapped his arms around her stomach, pressing his chest against her back as he resumed his pace. His mouth found one of his favorite spots, just between her shoulder and neck, and began to kiss and suckle. Her scent was overwhelming today. He could very well drown in it. Maybe it was because of the shower? Maybe the heat and steam intensified it, he didn't know. But even if he was drowning, he was doing it willingly.

A small 'ah' peeped out of his doe, before she clenched her small hands around his; his, which, were still wrapped around her smooth tummy. Her nails dug into his knuckles, but he didn't mind at all, and instead, picked up his rhythm just a tad. He smiled against her skin as he felt the familiar shaking.

 _Her legs are gonna give soon,_ he thought. So he held her just a little tighter, and lightly nibbled her shoulder, to heighten her pleasure. With a few more thrusts, and a strangled gasp, Hermione broke, releasing her hold of his hands, her legs shaking violently before going completely limp, heavy pants the only thing she could muster as the pleasure dolled her face: her eyes fluttering, her mouth slightly agape, beads of sweat and the now-cold-water from her wet hair dripping down her back.

"Turn around."

"Huh-"

Before she was able to come to her senses, Draco pulled out, and flipped her around, so that they were now face to face. Still drunk on pleasure, Hermione was too dazed to realize what he was doing. With strong arms he picked her up, sitting her down on the sink, and quickly pushed into her once more, pumping violently. With each thrust Hermione released a sharp _ah!_ and she had to hold onto his shoulders to keep from falling, her body was jerking so intensely.

"I can't," he grunted, "hold it."

"Don't," she whimpered.

He buried himself in her; drowned in her; biting her neck before his eyes rolled back and he released his pent up pleasure. He inhaled deeply, his teeth still latched onto her skin, Hermione joining him in his ragged breaths.

"Fuck that was delicious."

She giggled, her face now red for a variety of reasons, as she nodded happily, her arms still around his neck. He pecked her lips sweetly, "I think you're gonna need another shower."

…

Once they were curled up in bed, all comfy and cozy, Hermione stared at her boyfriend, her fingers aimlessly brushing through his hair.

"You gonna keep doing that?"

"It's soft." She argued.

He yawned, "It makes me sleepy."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling around the edges, "That's cute."

He grumbled.

She continued to smile as she pulled her hand away and sighed. She made herself comfortable, tightening her hold on the bedsheets, and squirmed a bit to find the softest spot on her pillow, "Goodnight, Draco."

All her adjustments were in vain, however, because with one arm Draco grabbed her torso, and pulled her to him, spooning her. She scoffed, "You're so clingy."

"Shut _up_ woman."

She giggled. It was almost as though she hadn't felt this happy in a really long time. She wanted to stay like this, by Draco's side. If only everyone else would simply leave them alone. Then maybe they could be happy like this all the time.

"You're really lucky, you know."

"How do you figure?" he murmured sleepily.

"No one's giving you any crap over us. Meanwhile every day for me is like trench warfare."

"You're kidding me right? I'm getting a bunch of shit over this."

She blinked, not fully believing him, so instead she just squeezed his arm. "Well, you just never seem bothered by any of it…"

"Because I'm not whiney."

She could almost _hear_ his smirk. Still, Hermione was stubborn. "But I don't think it's the same. All of my friends-"

"You seriously wanna make a competition out of this Granger? You're not the only one getting their ass chewed out ok? You're a bloody Gryffindor for godsakes. Not to mention…" his voice trailed off.

"What?" She already knew what he was going to say.

"Potter's friend." He said quickly.

She stayed quiet for a bit, "That's not what you were going to say."

He groaned, shifting in bed. "Muggle born."

She inhaled softly, quietly. She looked down at his large hand which he held in her small one. Hers looked particularly small in comparison. "It bothers you," she said finally, just barely above a whisper, "Doesn't it?"

She heard him take a deep inhale, before tugging her in closer and burying his face in her hair. "I'm not having this conversation right now. Go to sleep."

"No, Draco," she squirmed out of his grasp, turning so that she could face him. Though it was dark in the room, his grey eyes stood out to her, clear as day, "I want to know."

"Go to sleep Hermione." He murmured, closing his eyes.

"Please tell me."

He groaned, opening his eyes lazily. "Well it's not ideal, is it? I can't exactly stroll up and introduce you to my parents without a care in the world."

Hermione stayed quiet for a long time. Part of her wanted to be upset, but she couldn't help the giddy feeling that caught her throat at his mention of wanting to introduce her to his parents. That was a big step for any couple, wasn't it? Unless he didn't mean it that way. He probably didn't. It was just an example he'd thrown out there. This was Draco, after all.

He sighed, pulling her from her thoughts, "Come on Bambi. You drove me into a corner with that one."

"I know." She lowered her gaze.

"Seriously. Stop. You're being all mopey."

"I am not!" she quickly rebutted.

"You are."

"I'm not."

He grabbed her again, his fingers finding their way under her shirt to touch a particular sensitive piece of skin.

"Stop!" she tried to wriggle free, but it was no use, she was already bursting into separate rounds of laughter, though she tried her hardest to keep them contained, "Draco! Draco you know I'm tickl-ah!" She continued to squirm, and he continued to tickle, until she kicked him reflexively.

Immediately, they both stopped, Hermione's eyes wide as her hand went to cover her mouth. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry-"

"Oh you're gonna get it now. That's abuse, you know."

"Draco," she held up her hands defensively, trying to inch away, "We should get some sleep. It's already so late-"

"Don't pull that shit, Bambi. You kicked me. A man's gotta get proper revenge."

"Draco!" she squealed as he pulled her to him, hovering over her and attacking her stomach pitilessly, "Draco! NO!"

Bubbly giggles erupted from Hermione, filling the room with her torturously happy echoes. Even in the dark, Draco could see her twisted smile, her eyes shut tight, silently praying for mercy. He let out his own laugh, stealing a few kisses between his moments of carefree punishment. In all honesty Draco liked nights like these. And seeing Hermione laugh…well. That was just icing on the cake.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy update day ^^ Don't forget to review!**

 **Goose: I'll be the first to admit I'm a fangirl :D the apology refers to a scene in 'A Sip of Tea' Maybe that clears it up?**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione was getting a real anxious feeling sitting in the Gryffindor common room. She got the feeling everyone was looking at her, but she tried to ignore them, choosing to focus on her book. It was a rather hard thing to do, and not just because of the stares. She had overheard a few Slytherin girls talking this morning. It was the typical situation, once again. One girl insisted Draco had completely lost his mind. Another argued that he was just having a bit of fun. He was known for sleeping around, after all. The third added that Hermione didn't seem like the type to sleep around, which led them to concur with the first girl, saying that Draco had just lost it. That, or he was seriously craving some attention. The girls had agreed that it was a more likely scenario. He was simply using Hermione to get a few minutes in the spotlight, because as everyone knew, Draco was an attention whore.

Hermione exhaled, before closing her book and heading up to her room. Turning in early seemed to be a new habit for her these days. She knew that with this relationship, they'd be hit with a shit storm. It's all fine to _think_ about but actually trying to get _through_ it was rather exhausting. She was keeping her complaints to herself now though. It'd be unfair to dump them all on Draco, especially now that she knew he was going through the exact same thing. Worse, probably if one considered how closed minded Slytherins could be.

She flopped onto bed, letting memories of Draco flow languidly through her mind. And embarrassingly enough, she couldn't help but smile.

Damn it, she thought, I really do like the bastard.

That much, of course, had been quite obvious for a while now. But part of her still couldn't believe it. And when he had mentioned that bit about his parents…

He was right. It wasn't ideal. And she _knew_ that he didn't exactly mean he _wanted_ to introduce her to his parents. But the fact that he had said something like that anyway made her heart beat faster than she really wanted to admit. And if Hermione took the time to _really_ think about it, she might even say she was looking forward to it. It'd be amusing, if nothing else.

 _Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, I'm the girl you tried to kill._

 _Mom, Dad, this is Draco. You know, the insufferable blonde who tormented me? Yeah, we're dating now._

Ok, so maybe in reality it wouldn't be _that_ amusing. But it was a fun thing to think about nonetheless. With her thoughts drunk on Draco, Hermione fell into sleep.

The next morning, when she got to class, she was surprised to see him already there. It wasn't unusual; he was always a bit early, but generally she beat him to it. So with a pleasant smile, Hermione walked up to her boyfriend, kissing his cheek and bidding him a good morning.

"Ugh."

Hermione and Draco both glanced up, eyeing the owner of the sound.

Lavender rolled her eyes at them, and turned back to whatever it was she was doodling on parchment.

"Got a problem, Brown?" Draco snapped.

She looked up casually and shrugged her shoulders, "Not at all."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheeks. "You may as well come out with it. Especially with that indignant expression you're holding."

Lavender shrugged again, trying to make it look like she didn't care. "It's just disgusting, that's all."

"Disgusting? It was a kiss on the cheek-"

"You're one to talk, Brown. With your tongue down that redheads throat every goddamn day-"

"That's not what I meant," she interrupted, with an air to her voice, "I mean the two of you in general. What you're doing is disgusting."

Hermione scoffed. "Disgusting? Would you care to enlighten us?"

A few more students had straggled in by now, but were all deathly quiet, not daring to say a word. Lavender seemed to be enjoying the audience.

"You act as though you're in a real relationship. I'd hate to inform you that it's not. You two are hardly ever together. And when you are," she pressed her lips together, as though condemning the actions, "Don't think people don't see you two heading into the RoR together. It's a joke, and quite frankly, an insult to all the _real_ relationships out there."

There was an awkward cough from the back of the room.

"Look, Brown. We don't need your goddamn approval on what _you_ think is a real relationship-"

"I'm not talking to you," she snapped, "You're nothing but a man whore and everyone knows it. I'm talking to Hermione. What do you think you're doing? Has he ever cuddled you? Does he give you gifts? Open the door maybe?"

"I don't need any of that-"

"Ha! I suppose you're just like him then? Sleeping around without a care in the world-"

"OY!" Draco stood up but Hermione pulled him back down.

"Lavender," her voice was calm, unwavering, her eyes large and full of pity, "I'm so sorry."

She scoffed, "Sorry?"

Hermione nodded, a sad smile on her face, "I'm sorry you need materialistic validation in order to ensure the legitimacy of your relationship with Ron."

Lavender laughed out loud, and to be honest, Hermione hadn't been expecting that sort of reaction. "You're feeling sorry for me? Honey. Open your eyes. My Won-Won tells me he loves me every day. We write sweet notes to each other. You see, people in relationships _show_ how much they care for each other."

Hermione blinked. "Every day? Isn't that a bit overkill?"

Draco bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"How dare you?!" Lavender blurted, "At least I know how my boyfriend feels about me! You can try and deny it all you want but everyone wants the same thing Hermione! I don't know what you two think you're doing but it most certainly _isn't_ dating!"

Hermione took quick, fast breaths. She didn't need to prove to _anyone_ that her relationship was real. And she certainly didn't need to prove it to Lavender Brown of all people. She knew how Draco felt about her. And it was a hell of a lot deeper than whatever 'Won-Won' felt for fucking Lavender. Hermione didn't like resorting to violence, but if Lavender kept talking she was gonna knock her right in the goddamn jaw.

"I'm sorry," Draco said casually, leaning against his chair with his hands over his stomach, "I'm confused. What is this 'same thing' you claim everyone wants?"

Lavender glanced at Draco, calming herself down a bit, "You know," she shrugged, "Chocolates and flowers and things like that."

Draco looked over at Hermione, who was burning holes through Lavender's skull with her eyes. "Maybe _you_ need that. I certainly don't."

Lavender shrugged and turned around in her seat, officially ending the argument.

"Hermione," Draco said lowly, "What kind of chocolate do you like?"

She stared at him with wide eyes, "Don't you _dare."_

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Kidding, kidding. Don't let the cow get to you."

"I'm not." She snapped. But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized she probably sounded a lot more irritated than she had intended.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I've never really been that kind of guy or anything, but if you want-"

"No. Absolutely not. It's incredibly materialistic and selfish. I don't need proof that we're together."

"Sure, sure."

She glanced at him, not liking the tone of his voice, "Draco. I'm serious. Not one box of chocolate or a single goddamn flower petal. You got it?"

He smirked and patted her thigh, "Fine. Whatever you say."

She stared at him, not fully convinced, but let it go. Draco wouldn't go through the trouble of it anyway.

The rest of the day proceeded as usual, except Hermione was absolutely fuming. She had tried going to the library after school, to clear her head, but the eternal silence only seemed to allow her more room to think. Hate was a strong word. A very strong word. But goddamn she _hated_ Lavender Brown.

She was probably just jealous. Because Hermione had a super hot boyfriend and she didn't.

 _It's not a real relationship._

Really? _Really?_

Hermione took deep breaths. She needed to get a hold of herself. It was getting late. She should head back to her dormitory. A good night's rest was just the thing she needed, especially after having barely eaten. She left the library, book in hand, her steps echoing in the nearly empty hallways. She sighed. Things would get better soon. They had to.

"Hermione!"

Her head perked up, and she turned around, coming face to face with one of the second-year Gryffindors. "Yes?"

"We've been looking everywhere! You have to come, quick!"

Her eyes widened in worry, "Did something happen? Is everything ok?"

The girl tugged at her arm, dragging her towards the common room, "Yes and it's amazing! I've never seen anything like it! Everyone's freaking out!"

Hermione's heart pounded with excitement. Strange things were always happening at Hogwarts. And being the curious Gryffindor that she was, she couldn't help the tingling anxiousness that started in her fingers. Something surprising and unexpected like this was exactly what she needed to get her mind off things.

As they burst into the common room, Hermione could honestly say that she hadn't been expecting it, but at the same time, she probably should have.

The obnoxious amount of roses in various colors and bushels that littered the Gryffindor common room was enough to make anyone throw up. Some were adorned with elaborate bows and some had other flowers mixed into the bouquets. One in particular (the largest one) was being held by a teddy bear, who also was holding a small white envelope. And it seemed that with every bouquet of flowers came a small box of chocolate.

 _Bastard._

"Hermione! It's all for you!

"Open it!"

"Oh you have to read it!"

"You're so lucky!"

The girls were all fawning over Hermione and the very _obvious_ sign of affection that her boyfriend had so humbly graced her with. From the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Lavender's arms crossed, pouting like a five year old.

Slowly, inhaling deeply, Hermione opened the letter, unfolding it to see Draco's messy yet elegant scrawl.

 _Hermione-_

 _You said not a single box of chocolate, so I figured about fifty would do. Blaise said-_

"Hermione!" one of the girls chirped, "Won't you please read it out loud?"

She looked at the large horde of girls that had gathered around her, and with a shaky hand, brought the note up closer to her face. She cleared her throat, "Hermione. You said not a single box of chocolate, so I figured about fifty would do. Blaise said that girls liked roses, so I got them in all sorts of colors. (They don't make green ones, sorry.)"

Her heart raced at the fact that he had remembered her favorite color, before she resumed reading, "The bear looked kind of stupid, but I figured why not. It was a bitch to get this all done before you'd get back, but I'd do anything for you, baby girl."

Hermione cringed. Now he was just showing off.

"Oh my gosh! Does he really call you that?"

"No." she said flatly.

The girls cooed, humming about how romantic Draco was. Hermione started to think that maybe her boyfriend really was an attention whore.

"Does it say anything else?" someone urged.

"Um," Hermione glanced at the note, and read aloud, "I hope the chocolate won't be too sweet, but that's probably impossible, because nothing is sweeter than you." Hermione groaned. The girls didn't seem to notice. Hermione could practically _see_ Draco and Blaise trying to come up with the absolute _worst_ lines ever. She'd give him hell for this.

 _Also, tell that fat cow of a bitch to fuck off._

 _-Draco_

Hermione giggled at that last part, and when questioned by the girls, she simply closed the card and shook her head. "Inside joke. I wouldn't be able to explain it."

"They even have inside jokes!"

"That's so cute!"

Hermione groaned, a bit more loudly, "What am I supposed to do with all this chocolate?"

"Would you mind moving it?" Lavender hissed, "This is the _Common_ Room not _Hermione's_ room."

Hermione smirked at that, only wishing that Draco was here, so that he could see the look on Lavender's face. She'd have to be sure to tell him, tomorrow. Hermione bit her lip, to try and contain her smile. Maybe Draco was rubbing off on her. That definitely was a bad thing.

Because if nothing else, Hermione knew one thing was certain. Her boyfriend was a goddamn prick. Why that fact made her smile, she couldn't say.


	6. Chapter 6

"Something's wrong."

Harry looked at his friend. "I know what you mean."

"It doesn't seem to be a potion though. You don't think she actually-"

"Of course not. This is Hermione. There has to be something else going on."

Ron nodded, looking as though he were running through the various possibilities in his head.

"I've talked to Ginny about it," Harry said, "Maybe, since they're both girls-"

"She'll be more open about it? That makes sense. That's smart, Harry."

Harry flashed his friend a smile, "Thanks."

Of course it was smart. Harry was actually quite proud of himself for coming up with such a genius plan. If Ginny could talk to Hermione, then maybe they'd be able to figure out what was actually going on here. Because one thing was absolutely certain to Harry: Hermione was not doing this of her own volition.

Harry and Ron were not the only ones concerned for their friend. Not that Pansy would ever consider Draco a _friend._ But still. It was out of character. And she was getting damn sick of it.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Draco glanced up from his book lazily, confirming the owner of the voice to be Pansy, and then returned his attention to his book. "Reading. _Obviously_."

She glared at him, "You _know_ that's not what I mean."

"Fuck off, Pansy." He said, not bothering to look up this time.

She crossed her arms, "Don't think you can keep this up forever. People are talking."

"Let them talk, then."

"I didn't think you'd ever stoop this low just to get a daily shag-"

At this he closed his book, and stood up, "If anything, it's a step up from usual. I'm going to my room."

She side stepped, so as to block him, "A step _up?_ Have you gone mental? She's a mud-"

He grabbed Pansy by the collar, pulling her so that she was forced onto her tiptoes, "Finish that word. I dare you."

Pansy's eyes widened in shock, before she shook his arm away, her feet falling flatly on the floor once again. "You can't seriously…" she shook her head, her eyes filled solely with anger now, "Do whatever you want." She spat nastily, storming away.

"Always do."

…

Trying to move the insane amount of flowers that dwarfed the common room was no easy task. But at least now Hermione had a few people on her side. And by a 'few people,' she meant all the girls of Gryffindor. And as word began to spread, all the girls, in all the houses, ever. With the exception of Lavender and Ginny, of course.

But for the most part, people were now fawning over her and Draco. Which was a good thing. At least, Hermione _thought_ it was a good thing. It beat the constant questions and harassment, that's for sure. Well, actually, that wasn't right. There was even _more_ of that happening now, but at least it was in a positive light. And positivity was a good thing. At least, Hermione hoped.

Although, according to the excited squeals that now surrounded Hermione, all the Gryffindor males were just _so_ annoyed with Draco now.

"Why's that?" she asked, cocking her head at the third year.

"Well my boyfriend is all mad, you know, because I keep talking about what happened. He's not the only one either. All of our boyfriends are getting all pissy because none of us will stop mentioning Draco. I'd kill to have my boyfriend send me just one flower." The girl giggled.

"Ah." Hermione said simply.

"I can't get over it all! It was so sweet!"

Hermione offered the best fake smile she could manage, "The sweetest."

"Is he a good kisser?" one girl asked from behind.

"Um," Hermione turned around, trying to find words, "Y-Yeah I guess?"

More squealing was heard. "Hermione you have to tell us absolutely everything!"

Hermione knew she had to make a run for it right now, or they'd never let her go. "Actually, I should get going, breakfast-"

"Oh we'll go with you!"

"You can tell us all about him at breakfast!"

Hermione stared at the girls before her, most of which were still in their pajamas. "Um," she smiled weakly, "How about I wait for you there? I'm terribly famished."

They agreed, and Hermione rushed out of the common room. If all she was going to have were two minutes to herself then she'd make use of them. Maybe if she dashed down fast enough she'd find a small corner of a table where she could hide behind other people and she wouldn't be found by the girls. But she didn't find that very likely. Hermione sighed. All she wanted was to see Draco already.

Really, she couldn't wait. She wanted to tell him everything. Especially the way Lavender looked when it happened. But she'd have to hold all that in until she got to free period.

When she entered the dining hall, she was surprised to find Luna at the Gryffindor table once again. Not that she minded. Hermione smiled, sitting down across from her.

"Good morning Luna."

"Good morning." She smiled back kindly.

"You don't have to keep sitting here, you know. I'm sure the Ravenclaws miss you."

Luna shrugged, flipping through a Quibbler. "I don't mind."

"Hermione." She heard a strict voice from behind her. When she looked over, she realized it to be Ginny.

"Good morning Ginny." Luna chirped, taking a bite of food as she read.

Ginny nodded, "Luna." Then turning to Hermione, "It's time we end this."

Hermione released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, as her face broke into a large grin, "Agreed. It's about time we put everything behind us-"

"Look. I know my friend is still in there. Hermione. Please tell me what's going on."

Hermione blinked, swallowing her words bitterly. She should have guessed it wasn't going to be this easy. "What is so hard to understand? I know he's done things-"

"Not just _things_ Hermione, the man is vile. Pure and simple. Please," she reached for Hermione's hands, holding them in her own, near the verge of tears, "He's not making you do things against your will is he? Hermione whatever it is, we can help you, we can-"

Hermione shook out of her hold, her face falling flat, "Nothing I'm doing is against my will. I don't understand why you can't support me instead of being-"

"Support you? Did he slip you something? Have you forgotten what he's done?"

"I know perfectly well what he's done and what he's capable of. He's a better person now."

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Luna added, smiling at the girls.

Ginny ignored her though, focusing her attention on Hermione. "I guess maybe I'm wrong."

"What?"

With a grimace locked on her face, she stood up, "You're not my friend. The Hermione Granger I know would never do something like this."

Hermione closed her fists, grabbing Ginny's arm as she began walk away. She was getting tired of all of this. She wanted her friends back. "Ginny. Let's just talk about this."

Ginny only shrugged her away, "We'll talk when you stop acting like a whore."

Hermione immediately let go, her eyes wide with horror, her lips parted in a gasp that never came out.

Luna reached over across the table, putting her hand over Hermione's free one. "It will be alright." She assured.

Hermione took small sips of her water, mulling over Ginny's words. How long would it be before everything returned to normal? She was strong, but she still needed her friends. Still missed her friends. "I hope so." she told Luna.

Absentmindedly, she glanced over to the Slytherin table, but couldn't seem to spot Draco. She bit her lip. Once she'd be able to see him, she'd feel better, she thought.

She stared at the plate of food before her, wondering if she had truly just thought that. She nearly scoffed at herself. Needing to see Draco to feel better?

Maybe she really wasn't the Hermione Granger she used to be.

* * *

Tapping his foot as he sat on the couch, Draco smiled when he saw Hermione enter the RoR—he couldn't help it, stupid as that was.

"You absolute, complete _prick_ Draco Malfoy!" But she smiled and laughed as she said so, shaking her head.

"Did you like it?" he grinned, extending his arm so that he could embrace her once she sat down.

"Well you've successfully won over every girl in Gryffindor," She said, still smiling, hardly looking at him as she waved her hands around, "You can't do any wrong according to them."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. Most definitely. Lavender practically had a cow when she saw it all."

"She _is_ a cow."

Hermione laughed again, shaking her head and nudging him. "You shouldn't have done that."

He shrugged, "Well what about you?"

She looked at him, crinkling her features in confusion, "Me?"

"Did I win _you_ over?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing his face away. "You're the worst, Malfoy. After I told you not to. And you go ahead and pull this ridiculous stunt. Not to mention it must have been incredibly costly and-"

"Did you like it though?"

Her cheeks reddened, "T-That's a stupid question."

He smirked, "So you liked it."

"Of course I did you idiot."

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her, "Then it was nothing."

She smiled against his mouth, before pulling away.

Only, he leaned in again, kissing her some more. And so Hermione let him. He pulled her a bit closer, and Hermione enjoyed the way his arms felt around her waist, the way his lips felt against her own. Without meaning to, a small moan pushed past her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey," he breathed, his lips so close they still brushed over hers, "You're really soft, you know?"

She blushed at that, closing her eyes to kiss him again and avoid the comment altogether. Her fingers tangled in his blonde locks, and she tugged playfully. He licked her lips, making her shiver before he pulled away.

"Am I soft?" he asked.

She blinked, "W-What?"

"Probably not, huh?" he chuckled.

She looked him up and down, cocking her head a bit, "Your lips are soft." She stated.

"Yeah?" he smirked, stealing a quick peck, "Do you like that?"

"Shut up."

"So you _do._ "

"God you're so annoying." She sighed.

He pushed her, so that she fell back against the couch. "Am I really though?" he said, falling on her.

Hermione groaned loudly, trying to push him off, "You're heavyyy," she whined.

He bit her ear teasingly, before letting her know he felt tired.

"Sleep, then." She said easily, yawning herself.

He grumbled against her skin, Hermione shivering slightly as his breath tickled her neck.

"Can I touch you?" he whispered.

"Didn't you _just_ say you were tired?"

"It calms me down though," he argued, already snaking a hand up her blouse, "You're so warm."

Hermione didn't know why she was blushing so damn hard, but she was glad his face was buried in her neck so that he couldn't see her face.

"You calm me down too." She admitted quietly.

"Really?" he said, his head shooting up.

She was thrown off seeing his sharp eyes so suddenly, and so she looked away, "M-Must be the pheromones, like you said." She told him, clearing her throat.

Draco chuckled, cuddling up against her once again, making himself comfortable, "Right," he said, "Pheromones."

* * *

 **A/N: Gahh sorry the update took so long! Hope you enjoyed it though! Also, I'm on tumblr now, under this same username if you wanna give me a follow or chat or whatever :D**

 **Guest: Haha no she's not pregnant, but I'm glad you enjoyed the grandiose-ness of Draco's 'gesture' lol.**

 **IrisAyame: Your comment really pushed me to finish up this chapter already. I was feeling stuck and kind of depressed to be honest but you completely lifted my spirits! It's so encouraging to get reviews like yours and I'm happy you can enjoy the humor I try to put in there :) Also super excited that you enjoyed the first part as well! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.**

 **Happy reading everybody!**


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione's chest felt… _moist?_ What the hell? Where was she?

Her eyes shot open in a panic, the grogginess of sleep weighing her down, and she realized she couldn't move. _Why couldn't move?_

Above her a familiar groan and a bushel of blonde tickled the bottom of her chin, strong arms squeezing her even tighter. Her breath got stuck in the back of her throat and she tried to wrestle away.

"Draco…ng…Draco get off…heavy…"

Either he didn't care, or he was still half asleep, because all he did was nuzzle her more. "Mione…"

A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she stopped her struggle. He'd never called her that before. Damnit, the jerk.

"Hey," she squeezed his cheeks, pulling them apart, "Draco. Wake up."

He whined at that, blinking stupidly, weird sounds leaving his mouth thanks to Hermione pulling at his cheeks.

"Bwaammbiii…" he groaned.

"You drooled all over my chest." She accused.

He snickered sleepily, "Now we're even…" he yawned.

"That was ages ago!"

He plopped down next to her again, groaning some more. "Shhh…sleep…"

"Come on, we have to go. It'll be curfew soon." She tried to nudge him off.

"Mrrmm…" he bit her through her shirt, "Come to the dungeons tonight."

"You mean right now?"

"Mmm…"

"Draco." She flicked his head.

"Owwww," he bit her again, scooching up and then biting her cheek. She yelped reflexively, squirming to get out from under him. "Draco-"

He kissed her, holding her down, keeping her pinned between his body and the couch.

"Gross!" she turned her head away, sticking her tongue out and making a 'blah' sound, "You're all slimy and-"

He ignored her, kissing her all over again, lightly grinding his hips against hers. She laughed in between her squeals, somehow s _till_ trying to squirm away. "Fine fine! I'll go to the dungeons!"

He smirked in satisfaction at that, plopping down on top of her again.

"You're so bloody annoying."

"So are you," he yawned, finally rolling off and standing up, "You coming or what?"

She shook her head to show her annoyance, but got up and followed him anyway. They didn't speak much on the way there, both still trying to shake off the sleep. It wasn't until they got into the common room though, that Draco seemed to fully join the world of the living. "Do you have my wand?" he asked, patting his chest.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm not joking! You don't have it?"

"Draco…" she whined.

"Shit. I'll be right back." he rushed out of the room, not giving her a chance to respond.

She sighed, rubbing her head, and heading towards Draco's room. He really was a hot mess sometimes. But she couldn't help but find it sort of cute, and before she knew it, Hermione was smiling stupidly to herself.

"Granger."

Hermione stopped, her smile dropping as she turned around. "Parkinson."

"Spending the night again I see."

"You might as well say what you're thinking Parkinson." Hermione snapped sharply, refusing to let her mood be ruined.

Pansy crossed her arms. "You're a smart girl, aren't you? I thought you would have figured it out by now."

"I've already heard everything. Go on. Get it out of your system." Hermione drew out an frustrated breath.

"I'm not here to pettily knock you down. It's not exactly how I work," she began, "Besides, it'd have no effect on someone like you anyway."

Hermione paused for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Logic, right? Isn't that how you function? I'll try and be as blunt as I can. We're a bunch of rich kids, in case you haven't noticed. I guess you could call us spoiled. Care to assume who's the worst of us?"

Hermione refused to reply. Pansy smiled, "That's right. With the tantrums he throws its hard to believe he's not five years old-"

"What's your point, Parkinson?"

Pansy looked at her, cocking her head a bit, "What happens to the favorite toy when the kid gets bored?"

Hermione twitched, "That's a grossly inaccurate comparison. I'm not some toy-"

"Aren't you? What does your relationship consist of? So you keep him entertained, for now. Just how long do you expect this to last? I'm speaking realistically."

Hermione stiffened. Pansy's voice wasn't accusatory at all. It was rational, steady. It was unsettling. Worse than that was the fact that Pansy wasn't completely far off in saying that. It was how their relationship had started off after all. They were each other's release and nothing else.

But things were different now. They…

Hermione blinked rapidly. Just _what_ was different? He walked her to class on occasion. He had defended her in front of Lavender. But was he defending her or himself?

"You're realizing it now, aren't you?"

She looked at Pansy, who had snapped her from her thoughts.

"It's not like that anymore." Hermione quickly retorted.

"Anymore? Isn't the fact that it was like that in the first place a bit disconcerting to you?"

She had a point there. Hermione couldn't believe that it was Pansy pointing it out, though.

"Maybe," she said forcefully, "But we enjoy our time together."

"You mean you enjoy fucking."

Hermione paled. "That's not-"

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good fucking myself," Pansy explained, "But don't you think you're going about this in a slutty way? I mean _everyone_ knows."

The door to the common room opened just then, Hermione turning her head to see Draco.

"Oh, I thought you'd be in the room by now." He told Hermione, before nodding his head in brief greeting, "Pansy."

"Draco." She said casually.

"We just got to talking." Hermione said softly.

Draco shrugged it off, and then led Hermione by the waist into his room, leaving Pansy behind. Once inside, she pulled herself away. "I need to go to the bathroom." She tried to speak despite the fact that her mouth was dry.

She quickly rushed into the bathroom, shutting the door just as fast. She was shaking. Had she been doing that this whole time? She slid down the door, slinking to the floor, burying her head between her knees. She wished Pansy would've just called her a slut and gotten the whole thing over with. That she could deal with. But she had backed it up with reason.

And Hermione couldn't do anything to refute it.

Did everyone really know? Had he told them? Sure, people knew they were dating and all, but she didn't think he'd…

Tears slipped from her eyes, and for whatever reason she didn't try to stop them. Was she just some sort of conquest?

She bit her lip. She knew she wasn't. That he didn't see her that way. It was all too obvious in the way he held her, especially now. Unless he was just acting. But who would hold out an act for that long?

She swallowed. If anyone would, it'd certainly be him.

She let out a shaky breath, a small yelp leaving her throat when Draco knocked against the door. "You ok?"

"I'll be out in a bit."

Shit, her voice was shaking. She wiped her eyes roughly with her hand, trying to take in steady breaths while she fanned her face.

 _Deep breaths, Hermione,_ she thought, _deep breaths._

"Hermione. Open the door."

Panic struck her upon hearing his voice again. Suddenly she didn't want to see him at all. She just wanted to think this all over in the quiet of her own bed and then fall asleep. She held her knees up against her chest, keeping her dead weight against the door. She didn't want him to see her. It was so stupid. She shouldn't have started crying over something like this. Over something stupid Pansy had just happened to mention. This was probably Pansy's goal anyway. To get her to question everything and finally leave the Slytherin Prince alone. But for some reason, Hermione couldn't help it. He knocked again. She wiped her face angrily. "Just hold on." She snapped. Maybe a bit too sharply.

"Hermione."

His voice was low. He probably thought she was being childish. It was his bathroom, after all. And she'd been in here for too long.

To her surprise the door was pushed open, and she was pushed across the floor along with it. She kept her head buried between her knees, not wanting him to see her face. She was expecting a 'what the fuck' or a 'come on you're not a rug' or something stupid like that. But he didn't say either of those things. In fact, he didn't say anything at all.

She heard him close the door, before joining her on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and pulled her back against him, so that she rested between his legs. He still didn't say anything, but instead just rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Sorry." She muttered, trying to get the tears to stop.

"You don't have anything to apologize about."

She chewed her lip nervously, trying to take in even breaths. They stayed in the quiet of the bathroom for a long time.

"Aren't you going to ask what's wrong?" she scoffed, finding the silence irritating.

He leaned against her head, "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." His voice in her ear was strangely comforting, and it was almost enough to make her look up. She sniffled, wiping her face for what felt like the millionth time, and took another deep breath to collect herself.

"Pansy just…it wasn't bad or anything. She just pointed out the fact that…" her voice trailed off. She swallowed, trying to find the right words, "I guess I may have been acting a bit like a slut? I'm not sure."

"If anything, Pansy's the slut, Hermione."

She sighed. "It's not just Pansy. Ginny basically told me the same thing…a few days ago…"

"Well fuck Ginny too then. They're all sluts."

Hermione giggled sadly. "Are you just going to call all the girls at Hogwarts sluts?"

He paused. "Will that make you feel better?"

"No," she smiled, "Maybe. A little."

"You know who the biggest one of all is though-"

"No, stop."

"Come on, you know."

"Stop."

"Mmmmmo-"

"Stop!"

"Moooooooooo!"

Hermione burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's horrible! It's bad karma, you know!"

He shrugged, "I think karma's already hit me with everything it's got Bambi."

She smiled weakly. "Thank you, Draco."

He squeezed her waist and then yawned obnoxiously loud. "Come on, let's sleep. I'm tired as fuck."

"We literally just napped."

He shot her a nasty look, "You clearly don't understand the term 'beauty sleep' Granger."

"You're just lazy, Malfoy."

He smirked, pulling her in closer, "Unless you didn't want to sleep."

She quickly pulled away, recognizing that tone a bit too well, and finally stood up. "Sleep sounds fabulous, actually."

He chuckled, standing up to join her, and then opened the door. "Off we go, then."

"Draco, wait." She tugged the back of his shirt.

"Hm?"

"Are you telling people? About us, I mean."

"I think everyone knows by now, Hermione. You know, the whole standing on the table thing-"

She shook her head. "Not that. I mean…you know," she looked down, "The things we do."

"No." he said flatly, "Why would I?"

"I don't know…"

"Is that what Pansy was saying?"

She looked at him, "I know guys tend to brag about those sorts of things. But I'd appreciate it if-"

"I don't tell anyone jack shit, Hermione. Number one rule as a Slytherin. Don't trust anyone."

She swallowed stiffly, nodding her head to show she believed him. She'd nearly forgotten about that. And for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder if she was included in that statement. "Right," she bit her lip nervously, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me Bambi, it's not like I'm doing it for _you_ or anything."

She scoffed. "Still though."

"Come on," he tugged her hand, "You're starting to piss me off so let's just go to bed already."

" _I'm_ pissing you off?"

"Well," he turned his head around at a weird angle, smirking playfully, "More so than usual."

She laughed, "Is that so?"

"And look you're _still_ talking."

She pushed him, but she wasn't counting on him to actually throw him off his step. "You're pretty annoying yourself."

"Well too fucking bad, because you're stuck with me."

"Well the same goes for me." She countered.

"Then," he pulled her on top of him, falling back onto the bed, his lips just barely brushing over hers, "Keep pissing me off, Bambi."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been forever and a day. Sorry about that, this semester has been kicking my butt. And I still have finals *tries to not die* In any case, I hope you enjoyed the update.**

 **Guest: Ahh thank you! Whenever people say that they binge read my stuff like I literally go over the moon with happiness I can't express how much your comment means to me . Thank you!**

 **Sally: Glad you're enjoying it :D Sorry updates were a bit slow haha**

 **Sarah Cass: Eeep thank you!**

 **Guest: Your wish is my command haha**

 **Guest: gwaah thank you for being an awesome reviewer!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ron, bless his ginger little soul, wanted to 'have a talk.' Which Draco found absolutely hilarious. One, all Weasley's were a complete joke, and two, he knew exactly what the Gryffindor was going to say. Honestly, these boys were so predictable it was embarrassing. But Draco agreed anyway, and not for Hermione's benefit either, the way Ron had said. He was doing this strictly for himself. Because damn was this going to be good.

So when class ended, he followed the redhead all the way to the ROR, neither of them saying much about anything. When they got in, Draco tossed his bag carelessly on the floor, plopping down with an easy grin on one of the armchairs that appeared. Ron, on the other hand, took the couch, setting his bag down carefully by his side. He folded his hands, resting them on his knees, staring at Draco. He didn't speak.

Was he serious?

"You gonna say something or what?"

"I assumed you'd say something." Ron said calmly, "Or do you have nothing to say for yourself?"

"Careful there, Weasley. You sure you can handle all this without Pothead by your side?"

"His name is _Potter._ You think you'd have a bit more respect considering—"

"Considering, what, exactly?" Draco leaned forward, "We're not friends."

"But we do have a mutual…acquaintance." Ron retorted hesitantly.

"Acquaintance?" he snorted, "That all she is to you guys?"

"Come off it Malfoy. She'll mean more to us than she'll ever mean to you."

Draco waved his hand, already growing tired, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"No."

"Then get to it, will you? I'm a busy guy."

Ron looked him dead in the eye, his gaze sharp. Draco would give him that much, at least. He wouldn't have thought him man enough to stare him down.

"I want you to break up with her."

He could only blink. "Come again?"

"It's different when it comes to guys. No one really cares. But her name is being smeared. You're dragging her through the freaking mud, Malfoy! Think about that for a bit! All those nasty rumors about you two. How do you think that is for her? For once in your goddamn life do something decent."

Draco folded his hands, tapping his lips with his pointer fingers, "And this _act of decency_ as you call it, would be…me breaking up with her."

"Yes." Ron nodded.

"Because the rumors are that bad."

"Exactly."

It was silent for a bit, tension holding the two boys in place.

"You don't seem convinced."

"Don't quit your day job, Weasley. You'd make a horrible lawyer."

"So you won't do it?"

"What makes you think I would?"

Ron just about lunged for him, "Because, you bastard! Haven't you heard what everyone's saying? All the rubbish about you two fucking and god knows what else! She's being passed off for a whore!"

Ah, he had him. "Rubbish, you say?" Draco mused, smirk already tugging at his lips.

Ron inhaled.

"I can't help but wonder if you thought this through. If I left her now then she wouldn't just be a whore, but a washed up one. Used and thrown away. It'd only confirm the rumors further. But I'll tell you what I think, _Ronald_ ," he said, sitting up a bit taller in his chair, "I think you _did_ know that already. I think the purpose of this little _chat_ was to find out just how much my girlfriend and I have done together."

"Watch it Malfoy—"

He chuckled, "Does that bother you? Which part, I'm curious. The fact that I called her my girlfriend? The fact that I _have_ fucked her, thank you very much, or the fact that _you_ never got to?"

Ron sat frozen, all words escaping him. "You bloody bastard! How fucking dare you? Have some fucking respect—"

"It's hard to, with a girl like her. Bloody annoying isn't she? Always bossing everyone around. Surprisingly submissive, if you know what buttons to push—"

"Enough—"

But he continued as though Ron hadn't said anything at all, "And a fucking animal in bed, let me tell you. Hard to imagine she was a virgin before me—"

"Merlin you have no—"

"Oy, does Lavender beg? Bambi's a beggar. Fun to hear those whines, am I right? I'm weak though. Always give her what she wants. I mean, she's _my woman_ , a man's gotta provide—"

He didn't think the bloke would actually have the balls to punch him, but Draco found that out the hard way. Not that it was that hard of a punch to begin with. And it's not like it _hurt_ or anything. But still. A punch is a punch.

He scoffed, wiping his bottom lip. "You sure you wanna do that, Weasley?"

Before Draco could get a chance to retaliate, Ron fumbled through his robes, pulling out his wand in a flustered mess, shaking it at him. "Don't try anything funny!" he shouted.

Draco held his hands up in feigned concern, and every bit of irritation he could muster. "I dare you."

"I'm serious! You think you're all that. One day Hermione's gonna wake up and realize you're nothing but a coward!"

Ok. Now _that_ pissed him off.

He pulled out his own wand with ease, pointing it directly at the ginger. "Think about what you're doing would you? You're only gonna get hurt."

"You think you're so confident! I have a few tricks too, you know!"

"Look, you get hurt, I won't hear the end of it. _You_ won't hear the end of it."

"What do you even want from her? Do you honestly expect anyone to believe that you actually have her best interest in mind?"

Draco shrugged, "I don't expect much out of anybody, to be honest."

"Oh come off it you ferret!"

"Why do I need an ulterior motive? Is it because I'm a Slytherin? That's generalization, Weasley. I'm offended." He threw his free hand over his chest dramatically.

"You don't take anything seriously, do you?"

"Not really, no."

Ron's expression sharpened. "Don't you think she deserves better than that?"

Draco raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. Ok, so the little twit could play. But Ron was grossly overestimating himself if he thought he could out-wit him. He shook off his answer with a scoff. "Like who, you?

Ok, granted, that wasn't the _smartest_ possible retort he could come up with. But it was enough to knock the redhead down a few notches.

"No," he shot back, "I'm not doing this for personal gain. But it doesn't take much to be better than you, does it? For fucks sake it's right there on your arm—"

Oh, he snapped. Like hell he was gonna hear this from _Ronald Weasley,_ of all people.

With a reaction too quick to fully consider, Draco's arm was against Ron's neck, making him fall back against the couch. Pinned in place between the couch and Draco's forearm, the Gryffindor was choking. And for a split second Draco thought that if the bastard ran out of air then he wouldn't even be sorry. "Don't fucking start with me." he warned.

Ron shoved him away, but only because Draco _let_ him, muttering something about how he really was a crazy bastard. "You better not handle Hermione that way—"

"Like hell." He bit back.

"Fine, Malfoy," Ron said, brushing himself off, "If that's how you want to play, then how about a duel?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, before looking him up and down. "You can't be serious."

Ron's expression didn't falter.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. "Really? You said it yourself didn't you? You sure you wanna duel a former Death Eater?"

Ron's glare narrowed, his wand raising again so it stood just beneath Draco's nose. "If I recall correctly," he said, with irritating calmness, "Your side lost that fight."

Draco just about snapped his wand in half. A duel suddenly sounded like a great idea. "When."

"Friday. After classes."

"Don't be a little bitch and back out."

"I could say the same to you." Ron said evenly.

At the very least, Draco thought, he could return the punch he'd given him earlier. And he'd return it tenfold. Which suited Draco just fine.

The Gryffindor made to leave, but paused just as he'd opened the door. "Oh, yeah," he said, turning around with a pleasant smile on his lips, "Have fun explaining this to Hermione."

Draco froze.

No, that was a joke. There was no way this had been Ron's intention all along. The redhead couldn't have _actually_ played him. He wasn't smart enough for that. At least, he didn't think he was.

Potter, on the other hand…

Bastards.

Fine, Draco thought, if that's what they wanted, then he'd give it to them. But they were idiots if they thought Hermione was actually going to side with them on this one.

Because when it came down to it, she'd stand by him. They were a motherfucking couple after all. At least, he was pretty sure they were. Yeah, of course they were. And she'd back him up because it's what couples _do_ , right?

Rubbing the scar on his left arm, Draco suddenly wasn't so sure.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi all. So basically shit happens, school sucks, and life is hard when your computer breaks and you lose basically everything on it :'D That said hope ya'll enjoyed the update lol. Now that I'm on summer break I hope to make it more regular! Thanks for sticking with it ^^**

 **Guest: Gahhh thank you so so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

"You did _what_?"

No. No no no no this couldn't be happening. They already had enough to deal with. Why was it so impossible for him to just lay low?

Draco held his hands up defensively, "He's the one who challenged me."

She shot him _that_ look. "I highly doubt he did so without any provocation."

"If anyone was doing the provoking it was him. _He's_ the one who wanted to talk, Bambi. I had nothing to do with it."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You've both gone mental. You could get hurt," she fiddled with her fingers, "Or expelled!"

"Is that _really_ your top concern right now?"

She brought a hand to her temple, "Draco what did you _do?_ "

"What did _I_ do? Are you kidding me?"

"If he gets hurt—"

"Then he'll get what's coming to him."

"Draco—"

"You seem _incredibly_ worried for this guy—"

"He's my _friend._ "

"But I'm your _boyfriend_."

She stared at him, blinking. It took her a while to respond. "Well…yeah, but…"

He raised an eyebrow, "I am, aren't I?"

Her hands flew up, exasperated, "Obviously!"

Ok, he was losing patience now. "Then what the hell is the problem!"

"The _problem_ Draco," she began, marching towards him, "Is that you just jump head first into everything! You never think about the consequences! I thought you were more collected than this."

"Oh sure, blame me—"

"I will blame you!"

"It's _his_ bloody fault I don't see how—"

"You knew he did this to get under your skin!" she challenged, "You said so yourself! Why did you agree to it?"

"Because I'm not about to back out of a duel to Ron motherfucking Weasley."

She _growled._ Which was both attractive and terrifying. "Call it off."

"Christ Hermione you're fucking impossible sometimes—"

"Oh, of course. _I'm_ the impossible one. If that's so, then maybe you should think about the fact that _you're_ the one who decided to date me."

"Oh because this whole thing was _so_ one sided." He bit back.

"Forget it," she threw her hands up again, shaking her head, "It's been a long day."

She started to make her way to the door, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her harshly; a bit rougher than he'd intended, but she was seriously pissing him off now. "Like hell," he said, "We're fucking sorting this shit out right now."

"You don't listen anyway!" she countered, "Why would I waste my time?"

"Because we're a couple."

"Are we though?"

He stopped. Suddenly getting the weird feeling that maybe Ron had gotten the chance to talk to her before he did.

"What the fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

She freed herself from his grasp, jerking his hand away, "I don't know! But we don't act like it, apparently! God, Draco I don't fucking know!"

"According to who? To your so-called friends? To Hogwarts? What the fuck do they know!?"

"They know more than us, that's for sure!"

She fell into bed, elbow on her thigh, hand covering her head. "I've never been in a relationship before. I don't know what I'm doing. And now you're entering a _duel_ for godsakes…"

"You honestly think I have any idea what I'm doing?" he said, a bit soft, a bit bitter, taking a seat next to her.

She glanced at him, "I _know_ you definitely don't."

He leaned back a bit, "I think this is a smaller problem than you're making it out to be."

"I'm not _making_ it out to be anything!" she snapped again, "Don't pin this on me like I'm overreacting or something! If we don't even know where we stand then that's definitely not ok!"

"Christ, Hermione can you take a breath?"

"I'M TRYING TO!"

He jolted, knowing she was fully capable of being that loud but not exactly expecting or enjoying it. She fell back against the mattress, running her fingers through her hair and keeping her eyes closed.

Her features were all crinkled, stress lines claiming her forehead. Her body tense and stiff, despite the fact that her legs were partially hanging off the bed. He didn't…like that. And he got this weird feeling that there was more to it than just the stupid duel. He clambered over her before she could reject him, pinning her arms in place so she couldn't fight back. "Look, you agreed to this, right? So what if it's not typical or whatever the fuck. It's fine like this."

"Draco it's _not_ fine like this."

She wasn't looking at him. Why wasn't she looking at him? Her arms were up over her head so her face was half buried in the crook of her elbow and wait, did she just say it wasn't fine? What wasn't fine? Was _she_ not fine?

"What are you saying?"

There was a pause. Too long of a pause. He didn't like this anxious feeling he was starting to get.

"I don't know." she mumbled.

He'd never heard Hermione Granger say 'I don't know' that many fucking times. Shit, if ever. She knew _everything._

But what the hell was the problem now? Was it because of fucking Ron? Was she seriously that concerned for him? So she didn't like what they had going, is that what it was?

Without meaning to, his grip tightened around her wrists. "You don't like…this."

She glanced at him, head tilting slightly. His chest tightened.

"I didn't say that." she said carefully. Calculated, almost.

He blinked a bit _too_ quickly, eyes narrowing slightly, "But you didn't _not_ say it."

"Draco—"

"Dammit," he dropped his forehead on hers, taking in a deep inhale, "Just fucking tell me already."

"Please don't duel him." It came out in one smooth inhale, her eyes closed.

He ground his teeth, letting her go and getting off of her. "I'm not backing out, I already told you—"

"Draco," she sat up quickly, "If anything happened—"

"To me, or him? Who exactly are you worried about here?"

She sat up, crossing her legs, her hands scratching at her ankles, "Both of you obviously."

He stared at her, eyes dead and cold. "You're right," he said, "This _isn't_ fine."

"Don't do that," she said, shooting him a nasty glare, "You're both-"

He didn't bother listening to the rest. All he could manage was clenching and then unclenching his fists. He sure as hell wasn't gonna tell her that he didn't _want_ the bloody Weasel to be important to her, because how bloody whiney would _that_ sound? So instead, the first thing that came to his head was "I'm gonna shower." Before stalking off and slamming the door shut, a bit more loudly than he'd actually intended.

Christ they couldn't even _argue_ normally.

When he got out, he was expecting two things. One, she'd just be flat out gone. Or two, she'd be sitting there, arms crossed, tapping her foot and nagging at him for just leaving it the way he did.

But it wasn't either of those things. She was curled up in his bed, on her usual side with her back towards the bathroom door.

He ruffled his hair with the towel a bit more, not wanting it to be uncomfortably damp when he got in bed. He tossed the towel over the chair before walking around to his side, doing his best to not look at her, lifting the sheets to clamber in. He stayed on his back for all of two seconds, before turning over on his side so that they were looking at each other. He wasn't surprised at all to find her eyes open.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hi." She whispered back, fingers tugging absently at the fabric of her pillow.

He tucked his arm under his own pillow, propping himself up a bit, voice still hushed when he said, "So…does that count as our first fight?"

She smirked softly, and for a moment he thought maybe his expressions were rubbing off on her. "We've fought plenty before."

"Nah," he told her, "That was like some serious couple shit back there."

She giggled quietly, and he felt his chest relax. She was finally looking him in the eyes. "Be that as it may, Mr. Malfoy," her voice was playfully serious, "It has yet to be resolved."

He had enough confidence to bring his arm over her curves, rubbing circles into her side with his thumb. "Well," he said, "There were two parts."

She nodded.

He pecked her lips because, well, he _could._ "This, whatever _this_ is, is fine. You know it. I know it. So fuck whatever Hogwarts has to say."

Unless it _wasn't_ fine. But he'd sounded confident enough, so he was just gonna go with that. And it seemed to work for now, since she'd nodded, and was shifting ever so slightly closer to him. Only now he'd have to address the Weasley issue. He took a deep breath, having already prepared what he was going to say back in the shower—

"Ron shouldn't have asked you. That wasn't fair of him. So if you want to go through with it, then I understand."

God. Fucking. Damn this witch.

" _Hermione."_ he said through gritted teeth.

She blinked up at him, chewing her bottom lip, "What is it?"

"I fucking had a goddamn speech. I was going to convince you through flawless logic and clear evidence."

She wouldn't stop chewing her damn lip, "I did some thinking—"

"No, _I_ did some thinking. Christ, allow me that at least."

"Well I wasn't sure—"

He swiped his thumb across her bottom lip, "Stop that. Jesus if you want someone to bite you let me do it."

It was dark. But the blush that dusted her cheeks was very, very obvious to him. And suddenly his hands started to itch. What the hell was with this atmosphere?

"Sorry." She breathed behind heavy lashes.

He let out a shaky breath. "Yeah. Same."

It was…weird. And he pulled her closer, just then, feeling not quite irritated but just… _weird_ because he really didn't ever apologize to anyone about anything. But he'd said it to her. Two times now. Which was…

Weird.

And shit now he was kissing her because she _still_ hadn't stopped biting her lip and it was fucking irritating for some reason and her lips were kind of chapped but still soft—definitely soft— and he just…

Fuck.

Goddamnit it why did she smell so good?

"Draco…"

Goddamn she was doing that thing again. Where she was clutching at his shirt and doing that low kind of whine and just saying his _name_ like that. He pulled her closer, kissed her deeper, inhaled that damned delicious scent and just—

Her small hands nudged at his chest, trying to push him away. His body was on fire, and his thoughts strangely muddled. Nothing other than _no no no_ and _mine_ because she _was_ and why, _why_ was she pushing him away _now_ of all times?

"This…" her voice was too quiet, he didn't like it, "Whatever _this_ is…God we keep saying that…I mean…it's good, right?"

He inhaled before answering, "I think so."

She nodded slowly, taking in an inhale of her own, "Me too."

He got the feeling she wanted to say more, but for now she was quiet. She was thinking, he knew at least that much. Thinking of _what,_ exactly, he wasn't sure. And he felt his chest tighten again.

"So then," her hands had clenched around his shirt again, as though he might leave, "What exactly _is_ this?"

Well shit.

The hell was he supposed to say to that?

"I know you have your pride," she said quickly, looking at the collar of his shirt, "Just as I have mine. But we have each other now too, right? I mean I know that sounds weird. Really bizarre actually. God I mean you're Draco Malfoy…" her mumbling trailed off.

"…and you're Hermione Granger." He offered.

She smiled, "That's true." She buried her face in his chest, garbling something he didn't understand. He tensed up a bit, making a few questioning noises of his own.

"Why is this so hard?" she groaned.

He jolted, shifting slightly to ease the tension in his muscles, "Sorry. Kinda turns me on when you're yelling at me."

She smacked his chest. "Not _that_ you idiot."

He chuckled, rubbing himself against her thigh.

"Wait…you're serious?"

" _Kinda."_ He warned, nipping her ear.

She raised an eyebrow, before shaking her head and then lowering it, nibbling his collarbone, "God you're the literal worst."

"Oh hey," he pushed her down, his smirk boldly plastered on his face, hair hanging over his eyes, "My girlfriend says the same thing."

She scoffed, "Does she now?"

"Oh yeah. But _she's_ the one who's the worst."

She hummed at that, "Sounds horrible."

By now he was lapping at her neck, enjoying the soft vibration of whimpers she was biting back. "Yeah…horrible…" he murmured, sucking at the skin below her jaw, purposely marking her nice and high for everyone to see.

"My boyfriend's always marking in—" her words were cut off by a moan she couldn't keep in, "P-Places I can't hide."

He smirked against her skin, giving her another lick with his tongue. Fuck she tasted so good. And she'd called him her _boyfriend._ "How unfortunate."

Her breathing hitched. He glanced up at her, wanting to catch her expression. He liked that one.

"Yeah…he's a showoff."

"Your boyfriend sounds like an ass." He groaned, hips grinding slightly, his lower half demanding friction.

Hands snaked around his neck, pulling him closer, his lips forcibly pressed against hers. "He's pretty bad. Hot headed too."

"That so?"

She nodded, eyes flickering as he ground against her once more.

"Well, my girlfriend's a tease," he said in between bites, "And a know-it-all."

The sweetest sound pushed past her lips and onto his, her hips bucking, "I hate people like that."

He gave a low chuckle at that, hands sliding up her shirt, "I bet—"

She pulled his hand away. "Stop, Draco."

"Wait, what?" he stubbornly put his hand back, "Fuck that—"

Again she smacked his hand away, pecking him sweetly on the lips and turning on her side, "Nope."

"No? Fucking," he flipped her over, "Bambi I swear—"

"I'm tired." she said with a bit too much energy.

He growled, but she quickly flipped him over with what he found to be rather surprising strength. "I still think you should've said no to the duel," she said, taking a generous bite out of his neck, "So I'm saying no now, you know, to make up for it. The lack of _no's_ said today I mean."

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head and then shrugging her off. "Alright. Sleep tight Bambi."

She raised an eyebrow, "Not like you to give up _that_ easily."

"Maybe I'm tired too."

"Liar."

He smirked, "It sounds like you don't _want_ me to go to bed Bambi."

He could feel her squirming slightly beneath the sheets. Still, she didn't say anything.

Oh. This was gonna be good.

* * *

 **A/N: I think you all know where this is going ;D Look at me updating on time ^^**

 **Guest: Thank you so much for commenting! I like a sassy Hermione as well ;)**


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